Sunday, August 22, 2010

Bahnhof

One of the funniest idioms in German is, "Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof" (Literally translates to: I only understand train station) meaning 'I'm not quite following or don't understand'.

My guess is it's a reference to those speaker systems announcing things with a bit of static. Even if you understand German you might find the perfect time to use this saying after hearing some people with a strong Bavarian dialect.

There are more polite ways to tell someone what they are saying isn't so clear, such as a simple 'Wie bitte?', but using idioms is always a fun way of feeling like a local. Sometimes a little gruffness is crucial to survival here.

Welcome to Munich Daily Photo

New to Munich?A fan of München?Interested in learning more?

Inspired by the insightful stories and photos at Paris Daily Photo Troy Z. began this project in January 2008 and continued it until his departure in July 2010, when he passed the reigns on to his friend Emily.

Munich Daily Photo sets out to discover, document, and better understand the rich Bavarian culture of this interesting and complex city.